


And They Were Roommates

by hostclubmanager17



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bullying, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Roommates, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Tsukishima Kei is a Good Friend, Tsukkiyama Week, Yamaguchi Tadashi has anxiety, college students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26110708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hostclubmanager17/pseuds/hostclubmanager17
Summary: Oh my god, they were roommates...Tsukkiyama Week Day 2: Roommates
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 184





	And They Were Roommates

“ _ What did you say? _ ”

“ _ We have a T-Rex! _ ”

Yamaguchi’s lips curled up in a smile at the familiar lines. He wasn’t even pretending to watch anymore, content with listening as he sat sideways on the couch and played Candy Crush. By his feet, Tsukki was leaning against the armrest, his chin propped up on his left fist, watching intently even though he could quote the whole movie verbatim. Hell, he could probably  _ draw _ the movie scene by scene from memory at this point. But Yamaguchi knew better than most that Tsukki did not have the talent  _ nor _ the patience for such a project.

Once the dinosaurs were no longer on screen, Tsukishima sat up straight and gently prodded at Yamaguchi’s leg with his free hand. “You were telling me about your new roommates.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah!” Without hesitation, Yamaguchi powered his phone down and dropped it into his lap. “Their names are Okubo and Nomura, but I really only got the chance to say hi to them since I was already on my way out to visit you when they showed up. But what I do know is that they were friends in high school and managed to find each other on the registry, and they got roomed with me because they elected for only a two-person room but with so many students the school had to put me in with them.”

“Wow. So they basically told you that you weren’t wanted?”

“What? No! No, not at all! They actually seem really chill! I just hope they don’t push me out. It’s kinda daunting trying to become friends with people who are already friends with each other.”

Yamaguchi preemptively winced as soon as the words escaped his mouth, knowing exactly what Tsukishima was about to follow up with.

“Tch. I don’t see why you don’t just move in with me.”

There it was.

Apparently, even before Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had taken their college entrance exams, Tsukki already had the mentality that the two of them were going to room together after high school. And, to Yamaguchi’s surprise, everyone else had assumed the same. Even his own parents!

So when they ended up choosing different colleges and Tsukki’s family went out to buy him a cheap apartment in between them, it had come as a bit of a shock to everyone to learn that Yamaguchi had already arranged to live in the dorms instead. Needless to say, Tsukishima was pretty bitter about the whole thing, even after Yamaguchi promised to spend every Friday night hanging out at Tsukki’s apartment.

Yamaguchi poked Tsukki’s leg with his foot, making sure he had his friend’s full attention before reminding him, “I want the full college experience! I thought you agreed that I should do more things to get out of my comfort zone?”

Tsukishima opened his mouth, but Yamaguchi interrupted, “And besides, I’ve heard too many stories of best friends who end up hating each other once they attempt to room together. And that’s the last thing I want to happen.”

Tsukishima clicked his tongue, abruptly turning back towards the television, grumbling, “We basically lived together every weekend in high school…” But he didn’t pursue the argument, which was a relief.

If Tsukishima hadn’t dropped it, Yamaguchi might not have been able to keep up the lie. First of all, he hated having to lie to Tsukki. And second, it was rare that Yamaguchi was able to slip  _ any _ sort of lie past Tsukki at all. They knew each other’s tells too well. Perhaps the only reason he’d lasted this long was because it wasn’t a  _ total _ lie, Yamaguchi truly didn’t want to strain their relationship by rooming together. He just… wasn’t being completely truthful as to  _ why _ he knew that would happen.

Because Yamaguchi knew that if he went from seeing Tsukki at only certain, controlled times and instances to almost every  _ hour, _ there was no way he’d be able to hide his massive crush. Absolutely no way. How he’d hidden it for this long was a mystery.

What he needed was some breathing room. Space to develop. Those were the keys to Yamaguchi’s plan. Because whether or not Tsukishima ever found out about Yamaguchi’s crush, one day he’d end up leaving Yamaguchi alone. He knew it was coming. No matter if it was because of disgust or because they got jobs in different cities or because he’d fallen in love with some beautiful girl, it was on the horizon and approaching fast.

And maybe…  _ maybe _ if they fell apart just a little before then, Yamaguchi could fall out of love fast enough for it to not hurt so much.

“I know you’re not watching the movie, so do you want to order dinner for us? The take out menus are on the fridge.”

“Ah, sure, Tsukki!”

Before he turned away completely, Yamaguchi caught the barest hint of a smile on Tsukki’s lips out of the corner of his eye. Quickly slipping into the apartment’s little kitchen, Yamaguchi pressed the palm of his right hand against his chest, not surprised to feel his heart racing beneath his fingertips.

God, he hoped his plan worked.

/Four Weeks Later\

Yamaguchi groaned as he finished climbing the stairs out of the subway and onto the street. Slipping to the left so that he wasn’t blocking the entrance, he brought his right hand around to his lower back and pressed it against his spine. Leaning back, he felt and heard his spine crack, some of the tension leaking out in the process. Heaving a sigh, he carefully straightened up, shifted his duffel and school bag into a more comfortable position over his left shoulder, and continued on his way.

The sidewalk grew more congested the further he walked, signalling the start of rush hour. Yamaguchi gave the universe a silent ‘thank you’ for convincing his professor to let the class out ahead of schedule today. Four weeks ago Yamaguchi had learned the hard way that if he got out of his Introductory Literature class “on time”, he either had to suffer through rush hour traveling or wait nearly two hours before making his journey. And in all honesty, while it certainly wasn’t ideal, Yamaguchi was far more willing to risk being crushed by the overwhelming madness than stay on campus.

College wasn’t working out exactly like he’d pictured it…

Not to say it wasn’t all fun. His classes had basically become the highlight of his day. The subjects were interesting, the professors were engaging, and Yamaguchi not only understood the material with ease but he  _ enjoyed _ each and every lesson.

No, that wasn’t the problem. Or, well… problem _ s. _

Yamaguchi originally thought he’d lucked out by only getting two roommates. Because the other two were already friends, the three of them decided that Okubo and Nomura would share the larger bedroom and Yamaguchi could have the smaller one all to himself. And for the first few days, things had been great. They were respectful of each other’s space and the three of them had even watched a movie together on Okubo’s television the night before their first day of class.

But now it was evident that Yamaguchi’s roommates were starting to tire of his presence.

If they were only giving him the silent treatment, he would’ve been okay. It might’ve hurt a little, sure, but silence would’ve been a much better alternative to the shit they’ve been pulling recently. And they weren’t even being shy about it, either. What had once been harmless pranks had swiftly grown into what could only be called harassment.

The bathroom was always an outrageous mess whenever it was Yamaguchi’s turn on the schedule to clean it. He’d woken up one morning two weeks ago to find his shoes soaking wet in the bathroom sink. The rough draft of his very first research paper had gone missing from his backpack the morning it was due, forcing Yamaguchi to hightail it to the library and print off another copy before running across campus to make it to his morning class on time. His pens and pencils and notebook papers were slowly starting to disappear from his desk, which might’ve been almost acceptable before his volleyball paperweight, which had been a graduation gift from Coach Ukai and Takeda-senpai, went missing two nights ago.

Yamaguchi had, at first, attempted to work out the problem with his roommates by talking things out, but when they refused to even admit their guilt he had started to look for alternatives. It was surprisingly difficult to stay out of his dorm room for long periods of time without succumbing to boredom or odd looks. His college didn’t have a volleyball team, which was a shame, and there were no other clubs around that he had any interest in joining.

Yamaguchi was really left with only one other option.

He let out a sigh before raising his hand, knocking lightly on Tsukki’s front door. A massive wave of guilt immediately crashed over him, but he swallowed it back. He couldn’t believe he was already being forced to this. Yamaguchi’s plan of drifting away from Tsukki was officially null, as he was starting to spend more and more of his time with his friend than ever before. What had first been Friday afternoons had turned into Friday sleepovers. Then the full weekend. And now, Yamaguchi found himself standing in front of Tsukki’s front door again. On a Wednesday afternoon. After having just left the previous Monday morning. He hadn’t even been gone for 48 hours.

Tsukki answered the door quickly, already staring intently at the boy standing on his doorstep. His face appeared impassive as he regarded Yamaguchi, but the concerned look in his eyes told a different story. For a while, the two boys just stared at each other in silence and Yamaguchi couldn’t help but feel a hint of déjà vu.

Here they were, staring at each other after Tsukki unwittingly saved Yamaguchi from bullies, yet again.

“I got your text.” Tsukki lifted the cell phone in his hands, wiggling it a bit for emphasis. “Is it your air conditioning again?”

“No. The shower head won’t stop leaking.”

Tsukki gave a small hum before stepping to the side, Yamaguchi mumbling his usual ‘pardon the intrusion’ as he quickly removed his shoes. Making his way into the sitting room, Yamaguchi did his best to ignore the feeling of being watched. He knew that if he made direct eye contact now, it would be more than obvious to Tsukki that Yamaguchi was lying.

He couldn’t believe that Tsukki still bought it, especially with the accumulation of other small, white lies piling on top of the original. The poor air conditioning and leaky shower head, while they weren’t exactly  _ lies, _ they were definitely half-truths. Throw away reasons for Yamaguchi to justify his appearance at Tsukishima’s doorstep at 5:30 on a Wednesday night.

Carefully sliding his duffel bag from his shoulder, Yamaguchi set it on the couch and unzipped the top. The many stickers that decorated his laptop were the first things he saw, and as he removed it from the bag the rest of his electronics also greeted him. Beneath them was an odd assortment of important papers, textbooks, and some of the sentimental items he’d been dumb enough to bring to college with him. After his roommate’s little stunt with his paperweight, Yamaguchi wasn’t going to trust them alone with his stuff.

Sure, he hadn’t been able to bring everything and no doubt he’d forgotten a few items in his haste to pack that morning before his classes, but it was better than nothing. At least he’d be able to hide most of the items here, at Tsukki’s, until he was able to change dorm rooms.

Nodding to himself, Yamaguchi started unpacking in earnest.

“You know you can tell me anything… right?”

The sincerity behind the words was what made Yamaguchi turn around as fast as he did. To his surprise, not only was Tsukki still in the room, but he was also still watching Yamaguchi intently. Usually, when Tsukki was worried about his friend enough to bring it up, he was overwhelmingly blunt and did his best to avoid eye contact afterwards. This new, assertive way of Tsukki dealing with someone else’s emotions wasn’t something Yamaguchi was prepared for. It didn’t help that he thought Tsukki looked far too attractive leaning casually against the wall in a pair of dark jeans and a blue t-shirt that was stretched a little tight across his shoulders.

“Yeah. Of course I know that, Tsukki.”

“Mhm. And you know that if you need anything, I’m here to help you out?”

Yamaguchi blinked, surprised again by his friend’s willingness to pursue the topic. Then the surprise faded, and he was left with a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. He couldn’t help but smile. Because even if his plan to drift away still ended up working once his roommate situation was handled, he and Tsukki were going to stay best friends for a long while yet. He had to remember that.

“Of course. You’d be the first to know, Tsukki.”

Yamaguchi’s reassurance does the trick. Immediately the wrinkles between Tsukishima’s eyebrows smooths over and he nods to himself, like he was confirming that Yamaguchi’s words were true.

Pushing himself off the wall, Tsukishima drifted towards the kitchen and called out over his shoulder, “So, do you need me to do your homework again tonight, or did you actually pay attention in class today?”

“Tsukki! That’s not funny!”

/The Next Monday\

Yamaguchi wanted to be anywhere but here.

Thankfully there wasn’t anyone else in the hallway to see him standing there like a creeper, but even if there had been that still might not have been enough to push Yamaguchi forward and into his own room. The six days he’d been away were almost pure bliss. Sure, the extra ten minutes it took for him to reach campus weren’t ideal, but it was a much better alternative to whatever awaited Yamaguchi on the other side of this door.

He racked his brain, trying to see if there was something,  _ anything _ left for him to do that didn’t involve him entering his dorm room, but came up empty handed. Mentally pleading for his roommates to have taken up Monday-night partying, Yamaguchi loosened his grip on the strap of his backpack and stepped up to the door. Sliding his key into the lock and twisting it to the right, he waited one more second before pushing his way inside. To his disappointment, both of his roommates were waiting for him on the couch. Immediately, Yamaguchi knew they had done something horrible while he was away.

How did he know?

Easy: They were smiling at him.

They were not nice smiles, either. Not in the slightest. The last time Yamaguchi saw those smiles on his roommates had been when he’d been forced to admit he had no evidence that they’d taken his paperweight.

Averting his gaze, Yamaguchi muttered a soft ‘hey’ as he quickly shook his shoes off. Snatching them up in his hand, he made it halfway to his bedroom when he realized that something was wrong. His door was open. Just a crack, but open. And he was positive he’d closed it before leaving last week.

“Something fell over in there.”

Yamaguchi’s blood ran cold as he turned back to the two boys. Nomura was lazily pointing at Yamaguchi’s bedroom door while he scrolled through something on his phone, but Okubo was still staring at him, trying and failing to cover up his snickering. Nodding slowly, Yamaguchi carefully kept his expression neutral as he took the final few steps to his door. He pushed the door open all the way.

The first things he noticed were the shards of glass scattered across the floor. Quickly shoving his shoes into his duffle bag to free his hands, Yamaguchi grabbed the broom he kept in the corner by the door. After a few haphazard sweeping motions, he was able to step further into the room and shut the door. Doing his best to ignore his roommate’s laughter on the other side, Yamaguchi hastily swept up the rest of the glass, his eyes quickly finding the source of the mess.

His picture frames.

He only had the two of them because he mostly preferred to stick his photos up on the wall, but his grandmother had given the frames to him as part of a graduation gift. Yamaguchi had placed his two favorite photos in them almost immediately and they had been the first things he arranged on his desk. The sight of them now, on the floor and surrounded by glass, sent Yamaguchi’s stomach to his toes.

As soon as the glass was cleaned up, he crouched on his hands and knees in front of the two frames. One of them was face down, so Yamaguchi picked that one up first.

It was the big group shot of the Karasuno Volleyball team from Yamaguchi’s first year. Almost all of the glass was missing from the frame save for a single shard that had dug its way through the photograph, ripping it diagonally across his senpai’s faces.

Hands shaking and eyes stinging with tears, he carefully removed the shard with a thumb and forefinger, dropping it in the garbage can and placing the damaged photo on his desk before turning to the other photo. His breath caught. It was the selfie printout of him and Tsukki right after their graduation ceremony. His own face beamed at the camera, one hand obviously holding the phone while the other held his diploma. Slightly behind him and to the left is Tsukki, also with a diploma in hand, and for once giving the camera his full attention and even a bit of a smile. It isn’t ripped like the other photo, but the glass was still shattered and the photo was completely ruined by what looked like a water stain.

Yamaguchi’s eyes darted to his school bag, which he knew for a fact currently held his one and only water bottle.

Setting the frame on his desk as well, Yamaguchi grabbed his desk chair and rammed it against the door, under the handle. He faintly heard his roommates shout in surprise on the other side and hastily shoved his dresser along the wall until it also blocked the door. He stared at the door handle for a few seconds, watching it jiggle a bit as his roommates tried and failed to force their way in.

Falling into bed, Yamaguchi buried his face into his pillow and sobbed. What had he done to deserve such horrible roommates? And he couldn’t even complain about them to anyone without some sort of backlash! He knew they probably had brainstormed plenty of alibis and excuses for their behavior should Yamaguchi complain to the school, his mother would either say it was his fault for not extending the olive branch to his roommates sooner or to tolerate it long enough for him to move out, and Tsukki-

Tsukki!

By the time Yamaguchi considered the idea that Tsukishima might be upset with him over all the lies about to come to light, he had already pressed the ‘Call’ button. Attempting to choke back the tears, Yamaguchi curled up in his blankets and held the phone against his ear, desperate for Tsukki to answer. When did his volleyball team meet up, again?

Tsukki picked up on the fifth ring.

“ _ Hello? Yama- _ ”

Yamaguchi didn’t even let Tsukishima finish his greeting before the words were pouring out of him. Every nasty thing his roommates had done to him, all the way from the beginning of the semester to their latest crime with his photographs, Yamaguchi told Tsukki all of it. He explained why he couldn’t get help from the school or the RA and there was still a waiting period before he could change rooms and he just couldn’t deal with them any longer and… and…

“Oh, god, Tsukki, what am I gonna do now?”

For a full six seconds, there was nothing but silence from the other end of the line. It lasted long enough for Yamaguchi to worry that he’d accidentally put himself on mute before Tsukishima’s voice grumbled through the speaker once more.

“Pack your things. If you don’t, I will. You have one hour.”

And then he hung up.

/58 Minutes Later\

Yamaguchi had just finished emptying his desk drawers when his phone buzzed with a text.

**Tsukki!!!:** _ Let us in _

Yamaguchi didn’t hesitate, quickly pulling the dresser and chair away from the door and bursting into the sitting room just as a chorus of loud knocks sounded from the door. From the couch, looking like they hadn’t moved since Yamaguchi arrived, Nomura and Okubo also leapt into action.

“Yamaguchi, hold on!”

“Who did you call? C’mon, how bad could it have been?”

“You don’t blame us, right? We didn’t touch anything!”

“Hey!”

Yamaguchi ignored them, yanking open the front door so hard it slipped out of his grip and smacked against the wall on his right. To his surprise, it wasn’t just Tsukishima standing on the other side. Yamaguchi’s mouth fell open as Tanaka stormed past him, a deep sneer on his face as he looked down his nose at Yamaguchi’s roommates. Nishinoya bounded after him, hosting his own angry look but giving Yamaguchi a brief smile as he passed by. Neither Nomura or Okubo were meeting Tanaka’s glare, Nomura looking a bit pale as the two older boys bore down on them. 

“Are these the punks who’ve been ruining all your stuff, Yamaguchi?” Tanaka snarled. “Want me to beat the replacement money out of them?”

“Yeah! What do you want us to do to them?”

“I… I- what? I don’t-”

A hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder saved him from having to answer. It was Sugawara, and even as he gave Yamaguchi a reassuring smile  _ his _ roommate marched inside the room after Tanaka and grabbed the man's arm.

Daichi's voice was as commanding as ever as he said, “Don’t bother threatening them. They’re not worth our time.”

“While I’m sure we’d all enjoy messing up a few of  _ their _ things in return…” Sugawara let the threat hang for a few seconds before continuing, “Let’s just get Yamaguchi out of here, hm?”

Tanaka growled in discontent, but he didn’t argue. Instead he followed Daichi, Sugawara, Narita, Nishinoya, and Kinoshita into Yamaguchi’s room. Yamaguchi watched as they started gathering up his stuff, his mouth still wide open. Daichi was already calling out who should carry what out of the room and who should stay behind to help Yamaguchi finish packing. Nomura and Okubo were also standing shock-still in the middle of the main room, alternating between staring off after the other boys or looking at each other.

Finally Yamaguchi turned back to the door, where Tsukishima stood alone now. He was glaring daggers at Yamaguchi’s roommates, looking away only when Yamaguchi spoke.

“You called them? For me?”

Tsukishima nodded, giving the roommates another heated glare. “I figured you’d want to get out of here as fast as possible.”

Okubo gulped before running off into the other bedroom, closely followed by Nomura. Their door slammed shut.

/One Hour Later\

Yamaguchi vaguely remembered taking nearly three or four hours to move into his dorm room at the beginning of the semester. But then again, back then it had just been him and his mother as the moving crew. It made sense that seven angry boys could pack up the rest of Yamaguchi’s shit and move him out 5 minutes after arriving. Before he knew it, and without even a goodbye to his (old) roommates, Yamaguchi found himself standing outside of Tsukishima’s apartment, his pillow in his arms as his high school senpais trooped past him, carrying his things inside.

Just beyond the door frame, Yamaguchi could hear Tsukishima directing where the stuff should go for the time being. Nishinoya and Tanaka were loudly exchanging quips with him, and if Yamaguchi wasn’t so stunned by what had just occurred, he might’ve been tempted to say the situation almost felt like a normal day back in high school. But even saying so in his head sounded vaguely hysterical, so he stayed quiet.

Sugawara walked out of the apartment and stopped in front of Yamaguchi. “I heard from Tsukishima that those guys ruined your group picture of us from your first year, is that true?”

Yamaguchi nodded.

“I still have my copy safe and sound at my apartment! I’ll email a copy of it to you as soon as I can, okay?”

“Okay… Tsukki told you about that?” Yamaguchi felt like his brain was lagging, his own personal loading screen playing on loop behind his eyes. Thankfully, Sugawara’s expression remained as soft and understanding as always.

“Of course Tsukishima told us about that.” The older boy swiftly pulled out his cell phone, pressing on the screen a few times before showing the device to Yamaguchi. “How else do you think he managed to whip up as many of us as he did to come to the rescue? Most of us skipped a class of two to be here. Everyone else sends their best.”

Yamaguchi carefully took Sugawara’s phone into his hands, scrolling slowly through the group messages. The thread started with a long explanation from Tsukki about Yamaguchi’s situation as well as the “game plan” for getting him out of it. What followed was an absolute monsoon of text messages from the old team. Those who were still in Miyagi agreed to the plan within minutes of Tsukki’s text, while the others appeared to be making promises to beat up Yamaguchi’s old roommates should the event arise. Even as Yamaguchi read the messages, three new ones popped up from Asahi, Yachi, and Ennoshita asking for updates.

Numb, Yamaguchi handed Sugawara his phone back and thanked him for his help. He repeated his thanks to the rest of the old team as they left, somehow managing to hold himself together until he was standing alone in the middle of Tsukishima’s apartment, his stuff piled carefully around the sitting room. Behind him, Yamaguchi heard Tsukishima moving to stand at the opening to the hallway. For a moment, the two silently surveyed the piles together.

“I’ll help you unpack later, but for now I’m going to heat up something for dinner if you want anything. If not, you can go ahead and print out another copy of that selfie that was ruined. I still have my copy uploaded on my laptop, so we can print that out...”

Tsukishima trailed off as Yamaguchi suddenly broke down. The tears that had been building up behind his eyes started spilling over onto his cheeks. Just like he had done an hour ago, Yamaguchi buried his face into the pillow he was holding as he cried. He wasn’t even completely sure  _ what _ had pushed him over the edge this time. He was so… he felt…

“Hey.”

Yamaguchi jumped in place as Tsukki’s arms slowly wound around his shoulders. Without a second thought, Yamaguchi dropped his pillow and pressed his face into Tsukki’s chest, crying harder. The two moved closer until they were standing toe to toe. One wrong step would send them both tumbling to the floor, but neither of them moved so it hardly mattered. Tsukki slowly rubbed his hands in broad sweeping motions up and down Yamaguchi’s back, creating warm trails from his shoulder blades to his lower back.

Tsukki’s voice was soft when he spoke again, “What was that?”

Yamaguchi went to croak out a “what” in response when he suddenly realized he was already saying something.

“Thank you… thank you, Tsukki. Thank you.” Breath stuttering, Yamaguchi rubbed his face against his friend’s shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to smother himself in Tsukki’s scent. Let his body be absorbed until he ceased to exist and his chest stopped hurting. One of Tsukki’s hands gradually migrated up to stroke at the back of Yamaguchi’s head and he damn near passed out.

“Yamaguchi…” Tsukki’s hand stopped moving, now cradling the back of Yamaguchi’s head. Yamaguchi took a deep, stuttering breath before he stopped breathing altogether as Tsukki asked, “Why did it take you so long to tell me?”

His voice wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t quiet either. It was almost like he was politely demanding to be told. And judging by the way he was holding Yamaguchi tightly by the back of his head and around his waist, he wasn’t about to let go without an answer.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Yamaguchi forced out the words, “I didn’t want to inconvenience you.”

The arm around his waist tightened momentarily before falling away. Tsukishima took an abrupt step back to meet Yamaguchi’s eyes and he looked… horrified.

“You think I-”

“No! No, Tsukki, it wasn’t you! It was me! It was… I was...” Oh god, he was blubbering now, wasn’t he? He was just going to spill it all out? Now? Right now? Fuck it, right now. “We’re so close and I know that one day we’re going to drift apart because that happens in real life and I… I just… I wanted it to hurt less! But it just...”

He couldn’t say any more due to the tears now pouring down his face and tightening his throat, even though millions of words were bubbling up, trying to explain his reasoning to Tsukki without losing his friend along the way or revealing the monstrous crush he had on him.

“You know I don’t like dealing with absolutes.”

Yamaguchi felt his breath hitch as the hand Tsukki slowly moved a hand up to cup Yamaguchi’s cheek, his thumb carefully rubbing away the tear tracks on his freckled skin.

“But… I know that we are never going to drift apart. I wouldn’t stand for it, and from the sound of it, you won’t either.” Tsukki was smiling and he gently pinched Yamaguchi’s cheek, not letting go until Yamaguchi whined and swatted at his chest. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”

Well… that was all Yamaguchi could ask for, wasn’t it? Lips twitching into a watery smile, he gave Tsukki a small nod before burying his face back into Tsukki’s chest. He needed a few more seconds, and judging by the way Tsukki’s arms came back, that wouldn’t be a problem.

/One Week Later\

“I’m back!”

“Welcome home.”

Yamaguchi sucked in a sharp breath, smile worming its way onto his face.  _ Home.  _ It was still a new concept to him, calling the apartment “home”, but Yamaguchi was slowly getting used to it. Even though he still referred to it as “Tsukki’s Apartment” in conversation.

Removing his shoes, Yamaguchi lugged his backpack over to the couch and set it down heavily before meandering into the kitchen. Tsukki was seated at the table, staring down at a thick textbook with his chin propped up on one fist and a highlighter in the other. He looked up at Yamaguchi’s entrance, giving his friend a small smile which was eagerly returned.

Yamaguchi hurried over to the table and leaned over the back of the empty chair, hands pressing onto the table. “I’m absolutely starving! Do you have any preferences for dinner?”

Tsukishima jerked the highlighter across the page in front of him once before mumbling, “Anything edible.”

“Pork cutlet it is!” Happily walking to the fridge to start digging out the ingredients, Yamaguchi called over his shoulder, “You’d better wrap up whatever you’re studying. I’m not cooking this by myself!”

A groan was Tsukishima’s response, but by the time Yamaguchi had all the ingredients out, Tsukki was standing by the stove, hands clasped in front of him and looking completely lost. Yamaguchi rolled his eyes before he started directing his friend around the small room. He still couldn’t believe that Tsukishima had opted to live on his own at college without knowing how to cook anything but fried eggs. Yamaguchi hadn’t had access to a kitchen when he lived in the dorms, so he intended to make full use of this one, and now that included giving his best friend cooking lessons.

How Tsukki had managed to survive for so long on fried eggs, convenience store pre-made meals, and take out without gaining 30 pounds before Yamaguchi moved in astounded him.

“Okay, Tsukki! You’re in charge of making the rice. Think you can handle it?”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry, Tsukki!”

Tsukishima glared at him, not believing that Yamaguchi was sorry for even a second. He wasn’t, after all, and he hadn’t been for years. But Tsukki didn’t call him out and the two quietly started their cooking duties.

“My mom called earlier when you were in class.”

Yamaguchi swung his head to the side, eyes alight with happiness. “Really? Why? What did she say? How is she? Is she doing alright without you in the house? Did Akiteru finally get her a cat or is he waiting for her birthday?” He couldn’t help but ask a million questions. He absolutely  _ adored _ Tsukki’s mother. Almost as much as he adored Tsukki himself.

Tsukishima glanced at Yamaguchi out of the corner of his eye, a small smile curling at the corner of his mouth before he answered, “She’s fine. She just likes to check in every once in a while. And Aki-nii is waiting for her birthday to go ahead with the cat thing.”

He paused, frowning at the rice maker. He fiddled with the dials until Yamaguchi took pity on him and turned the machine on.

“Thanks. I told her what happened last week and that we’re now living together.”

Yamaguchi paused, his hands hovering over the pan he was soaking with oil. “Oh. And?”

“She wasn’t surprised. She said she was glad we finally figured it out.”

Yamaguchi nearly dropped the pan onto the floor. He managed to push out a “Oh, that’s good” before the two boys fell silent again. Yamaguchi continued cooking, hoping he didn’t have a weird expression on his face. His whole chest felt warm and kinda fuzzy. How was he supposed to function normally when everyone around him was acting like he and Tsukishima were meant to be together forever?

Dinner, thankfully, passed without incident. Even if there was a moment where Yamaguchi’s heart almost stopped due to Tsukki smiling at the news that Yamaguchi had finally cancelled his dorm contract with his college. Cleaning up afterwards was also rather insignificant, and before long Yamaguchi was dragging Tsukki out of the kitchen, the blond complaining that he had to study.

“Oh no you don’t, Tsukki! It’s Friday, which means it’s video game night.”

“We can play tomorrow.”

“Just because we’re living together now doesn’t mean you can skip out on our traditions!”

“You know…” Tsukishima mused as he was tugged onto Yamaguchi’s futon, which was spread out in front of the couch, “I’ve heard it’s dangerous to play too many video games while in college. Some people become obsessed and stop going to classes.”

Yamaguchi cast a playful scowl over his shoulder as he set up the television. “And I say all work and no play makes you so stressed you can’t function properly.”

Carelessly tossing the player 2 controller into Tsukishima’s lap, Yamaguchi sat down by his friend’s side and started up the Wii. The time for words was done. He was going to absolutely  _ cream _ Tsukishima in Mario Cart if it was the last thing he did. An elbow briefly dug itself into Yamaguchi’s side.

“If you choose Rainbow Road four times in a row again, I’m kicking you out.”

“Aww… is Tsukki a poor loser?”

“Very. Especially when my challenger always manages to pass me at the last possible second somehow. I swear you’re using some sort of cheat code.”

“Cheat codes? In Mario Cart?” Yamaguchi elbowed Tsukishima back. “You just don’t want anyone to know that there’s finally a game I can whoop your ass in.”

All he received in return was a scoff, and before long they were starting their first race. Yamaguchi felt an evil smile spreading across his face as he leaned over his controller. That first place was  _ his. _

/Four Hours Later\

The movie was boring. And cliche. And slow. And predictable. And a hundred other bad descriptions for movies all rolled into one, and there was no way Yamaguchi was ever going to accept another movie suggestion from his physics professor ever again.

Yamaguchi let out a huge yawn, jaw clicking in painful protest. He should turn the movie off. He and Tsukishima had already eaten all the popcorn and it was getting to be pretty late. Tsukki still had volleyball practice tomorrow. Rubbing at his eyes with one hand, Yamaguchi turned to ask Tsukishima if he wanted to keep watching when his words got caught in his throat.

Tsukishima was already asleep. Curled up on his side at the top of Yamaguchi’s futon, a pillow tucked between his head and his arm, glasses skewed in an awkward angle across his face.

Yamaguchi scrambled for the remote and turned off the television. In the dark quiet that followed, he realized he could hear a faint snore coming from Tsukishima’s slightly gaping mouth. Pressing a hand over his mouth to suppress his giggling, Yamaguchi slowly moved the empty popcorn bucket to the coffee table and pulled his blanket down from the couch.

He hesitated for only a second before draping half of the blanket over Tsukishima. The blond didn’t wake, not even when Yamaguchi carefully wiggled his glasses off his face. After placing them safely on the table next to the popcorn bucket, Yamaguchi slid himself under the same blanket, tugging his second pillow against his chest. For a moment he just laid there, watching in the low light as Tsukishima turned his head and shoved his entire face into his pillow, effectively cutting off the snore. Yamaguchi’s heart stuttered a bit, remembering how he had held that same pillow the other night. Did it smell like him? Like his hair? Or was it his gross morning breath?

Stomach churning, he found he couldn’t do much but lay there in silence until he finally passed out in the early morning hours.

/Two Months Later\

Yamaguchi sighed in content as he tapped rhythmically on his phone screen. During his 3rd year in high school, his father had introduced him to a color-by-number app to help with his anxiety. It was the perfect balance of mindless activity and reward for minimal effort, and it was an excellent calming method that got Yamaguchi through his college-prep classes and entrance exams with minimal panicking. Over the past week, the app had proven itself again by keeping Yamaguchi’s anxiety to a minimum during his first midterms.

Not to say midterms had been terrible by any means. In fact, Yamaguchi was tempted to say they were even easier than they’d been in high school. Still, it had been a stressful week regardless, even with Tsukki as a study partner.

Actually, it might’ve been  _ more _ stressful because Tsukki was his study partner.

Like Yamaguchi’s thoughts had summoned him, Tsukishima suddenly walked out of his bedroom and into the living room with a duffel bag over his shoulder. Yamaguchi instantly recognized the bag as the one that held all of Tsukishima’s volleyball gear.

Offering his friend a smile, Yamaguchi inquired, “Practice night?”

“Yeah. Apparently the captain thinks it’s a good way to de-stress together after midterms.”

“He’s probably right, you know. Don’t forget your water bottle!”

Tsukishima nodded and went to enter the kitchen when he stopped short. Turning back around, his gaze fell squarely on Yamaguchi, who couldn’t help but tuck himself a little further into his seat. He was used to being under Tsukishima’s figurative microscope when it came to things like eating properly, getting enough sleep, and finding time to relax. But Yamaguchi was feeling pretty relaxed… okay, right now he wasn’t, but that wasn’t his fault either.

“Tsukki? What’s wrong?”

At once, Tsukishima looked down at the floor. His hands came together in front of him for a second before falling to his sides again. Yamaguchi sat up a little bit, now worried for his friend. What was going through his head?

“Tsukki?”

“Do you want to join me? For practice, I mean.” Tsukishima adjusted his glasses before explaining, “If it’s mainly for stress relief, you need it more than I do, and I know you miss playing volleyball. And you helped me study so it’s the least I can do to thank you. I can’t promise that you can play with the team as a whole, but the team’s only playing for an hour, so after that you and I can do whatever we want with the equipment so long as we pack up afterwards.”

Tsukishima jumped in surprise when Yamaguchi bolted to his feet, sending the blanket that had been covering his feet flying to the floor.

“I’d love to, Tsukki! Let me get my stuff!”

Yamaguchi scurried around, grabbing anything and everything he could possibly need to play volleyball again. By the time he exited the kitchen for the last time with a water bottle in hand, Tsukishima was still standing in the same spot. Yamaguchi ended up having to grab Tsukishima’s water bottle for him and push the tall blond out the door. If he were any less excited about the chance to play volleyball, he might’ve looked further into Tsukishima’s shock. But by the time it occurred to Yamaguchi that he should be overthinking the invite, they were already at Tsukishima’s school gym.

Following along at his friend’s side, Yamaguchi looked around the building as Tsukishima led him to the volleyball team’s gym. Yamaguchi had only seen Tsukishima’s team once before at a game, and he thought they were pretty good. Tsukki was the best player in Yamaguchi’s opinion, but even he could admit he was a little biased. Unfortunately the team’s starting libero had fallen ill and Tsukishima’s team was eliminated right before the semi-finals.

Tsukishima nudged Yamaguchi’s arm for attention. They were standing in the doorway to the volleyball gym, and most of Tsukishima’s team had already gathered on the court. A small handful of guys were passing a volleyball around in a circle, and the sight of the ball flying through the air was already getting Yamaguchi’s blood pumping. Though that didn’t stop him from shyly looking away when Tsukishima’s teammates noticed he had brought someone along.

“Ah, Tsukishima! I see you’ve brought a friend?”

“Captain,” Tsukishima greeted, giving the buff dude who had just walked up to them a polite nod of the head. “This is Yamaguchi Tadashi. Yamaguchi, this is Komatsuzawa Chikage.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Tsukki’s mentioned you before!” Yamaguchi gave a brief bow to the senior before offering a bright smile. “He said you were just approved for an internship in Egypt for next semester?”

“That’s right! It’ll be my first time actually working on an archaeological dig site, but I’m pretty excited about the opportunity.”

“It sounds fascinating and I wish you luck!”

“Thank you! Now, how come you’ve come along with Tsukishima today?”

Tsukishima, who had been letting his friend take the lead in the conversation, stepped in to explain, “You did say it’s been a stressful week, Captain. I invited Yamaguchi over so he and I could blow off some steam after practice.”

“I promise to not get in your way.” Yamaguchi gave another bow, but Komatsuzawa just laughed good naturedly.

“It’s no trouble at all. You have my permission to stick around until practice is over. I was planning on cutting it short anyways. Sayko looks like he’s about to fall asleep where he stands, anyways. Tsukishima, go get everyone gathered up for stretches. I’ll show Yamaguchi where he can sit and watch.”

For the next half hour, Yamaguchi watched from the bench as Komatsuzawa guided his team through practice. He smiled, content with watching Tsukishima integrate himself into his college team with ease. Oh, he was still sarcastic and obviously took pleasure in riling up some of his teammates, but Yamaguchi could tell Tsukishima was enjoying himself.

Letting out a long sigh, Yamaguchi sat back and glanced at the clock hanging over the doors. The entire time he had been in the gym, he hadn’t taken his eyes off of Tsukishima for longer than a few seconds. As far as Yamaguchi was concerned, his plan from the beginning of the year was officially flushed down the proverbial toilet.

His crush was getting worse by the day and at this point there was no use fighting it. But hey, if he was destined for horrible heartbreak in his future, Yamaguchi was going to enjoy the happiness he got from indulging in his crush while he still could. Faintly in the back of his head, Yamaguchi swore he could faintly hear Tanaka telling him to grab hold of the good stuff. Of course, his old senpai had been talking about scoring points in volleyball, but those words still applied in his current situation, okay? Shut up.

“Oi! Your name is Yamaguchi, right?”

Startled out of his thoughts, Yamaguchi was surprised to find he had been surrounded by four of Tsukishima’s teammates without realizing it. He quickly cleared his throat and nodded. The students around him looked oddly interested in him. Why for, he had no clue.

“So how do you know our Tsukki?”

“Did he threaten you in some way? Are you under contract to act like his friend?”

Oh, that’s why.

Shaking his head with a smile, Yamaguchi said, “Not at all. Tsukki and I have been friends since middle school. We’re actually roommates now.”

Three more of Tsukishima’s teammates had joined the original crowd by this point, all of them whispering to each other at Yamaguchi’s admission. Yamaguchi peered around them and saw Tsukishima talking to his coach on the other side of the room. Though judging from the way he kept cutting his gaze over to Yamaguchi, the group had not escaped his notice.

“I heard you’re here to play a bit of volleyball with Tsukishima after practice. Did you play together?”

“Yeah, all the way through high school, actually. My university doesn’t have a volleyball team unfortunately, which is why I’m here.”

“What position were you?”

“Middle blocker, but I was just the pinch server my first year.”

“You were also Captain our 3rd year.”

Suddenly Yamaguchi understands why Tsukishima tells him to shut up when he compliments him. He doesn’t get a chance to use his friend’s catchphrase before Tsukishima’s teammates have turned on him, questioning why he hadn’t brought Yamaguchi over before. He almost starts giggling at the affronted look on Tsukishima’s face, but the intense look on the team’s libero’s face makes the urge die somewhere in Yamaguchi’s chest.

Yamaguchi briefly recalls that the libero’s name is Ukyo Ao when he abruptly asks, “Were you, by chance, known for your jump serves?”

“Um… yes. Like I said I was the pinch server-”

Abruptly, Ukyo claps his hands together, a wide grin on his face. “That’s it! I remember watching one of your games and being absolutely amazed by your control of the ball!” Ukyo’s eyes were shining. “I mean, your libero was incredible too but I remember wishing I had the chance to receive one of your serves! Would you mind?”

“Uh… sure?”

Yamaguchi let out a yelp as he was tugged to his feet and onto the court, a few more players following behind reminding Ukyo to let Yamaguchi stretch first. Tsukishima watched from his side of the room, glaring not too subtly at the hand wrapped around his friend’s wrist.

/Two weeks later\

“Happy Birthday, Tsukki!”

“Yamaguchi, you’re drunk.” Tsukishima’s admonishment would’ve landed a lot better if he wasn’t laughing hysterically as he said it. The club lights pulsated over the crowd in time with the bass-boosted music, pinks and yellows occasionally splashing the dancing patrons with color and bouncing off their sweat before moving on. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had been a part of that very crowd only two minutes ago, the two of them currently resting at an empty corner of the bar to catch their breaths.

“Hey,” Yamaguchi called out, a little quieter than before, and tugged on the front of Tsukishima’s button down. “Do you wanna head home? We still have your cake in the fridge.”

Tsukishima squinted down at his friend, halfway noticing the smudges across his glasses. “Do  _ you _ want to leave?”

“I…” Yamaguchi hesitated, glancing towards the dance floor. “I’m having fun, but it’s your birthday.”

His birthday. Yamaguchi had been reminding him about that fact all day. Tsukishima had woken up to breakfast already prepared and accompanied by a little present wrapped in his new team colors. Then came the surprise gift from Akiteru, a reservation for two at a nice restaurant in the city and money to get into a club to party in afterwards. Trust Akiteru to give his brother a birthday gift that could be shared.

The dinner had been fantastic, and as two "broke" college students they had enjoyed every bite of it. The dance club was a little out of Tsukishima’s comfort zone, but he refused to waver given Yamaguchi’s tentative excitement about going in. His disdain for the loud music had been dampened by the alcohol and the discomfort that came with dancing along with a mass of sweaty bodies pressed all around had been ignored in favor of Yamaguchi’s smiles and laughter.

Yes, it was Tsukishima’s birthday. But what he wanted most was to see the man he was in love with enjoying himself without the stress of oncoming finals covering him like a cloud.

Which is why he shook his head and took Yamaguchi by the hand, dragging his friend back onto the dance floor. They wouldn’t be staying for much longer, he knew, but until then he was going to take every opportunity to dance with Yamaguchi.

/One week later\

This was it. This was how Yamaguchi would die. Hunched over a coffee table with two textbooks, two notebooks, a pile of flashcards, and a vast array of writing utensils scattered around him. The English words in front of his eyes blurred for a moment before he forced them to refocus. He knew his eyes were a bit dry, but he also knew if he tried to wet them with tears he would very likely just start crying outright. Who would’ve known that once Yamaguchi didn’t have a study partner, preparing for exams would become  _ that _ much worse for him.

It wasn’t as though Tsukishima didn’t want to help Yamaguchi, and vice versa, but by going to different colleges with different teachers and classes, they had discovered it wasn’t worth trying to learn two variations of the same subject just to maybe assist the other.

Yamaguchi glanced behind him, where Tsukishima was situated on the couch with one book cracked open on his knees and three others piled by his feet. The blond had taken his glasses off to read which almost tempted Yamaguchi to stare at his friend instead of returning to studying, but he managed to deny the urge.

He tapped the end of his pencil against his notebook and checked his recent answer on the study guide. If he had misspelled another English word he was going to start screaming-

“Ah!”

It definitely wasn’t a scream, but Yamaguchi did yelp at the feeling of something on his back. He turned to see what it was when something else smacked him in the face. The throw pillow dropped to his hip as he stared in astonishment at Tsukishima. His friend was still reading, and would’ve looked totally innocent if the pillows he’d been leaning against weren’t currently scattered around Yamaguchi’s body.

The blond’s eyes cut to Yamaguchi and held eye contact.

“Oh… it’s so on.”

Without hesitation Tsukishima tossed his book onto the couch and took off for the bedroom, Yamaguchi flinging the throw pillows at him as he went. Tsukishima returned to the living room with his actual bed pillows right as Yamaguchi had finished pushing the coffee table to the side. With a shriek of panic, Yamaguchi grabbed his own bed pillow just in time to counter-strike Tsukishima’s first attack.

From there the pillow fight exploded into an all out war. They traversed the apartment, smacking at each other’s faces as they went that only served to briefly muffle their laughter. They were probably pissing off the neighbors with all their shouting, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered right now was winning.

The pair was back where they started in the living room when Tsukishima knocked Yamaguchi’s weapon out of his hands. The freckled boy yelped and attempted to grab one of the cushions off the couch as a replacement when Tsukishima grabbed him around the middle and hoisted Yamaguchi into the air.  Still laughing and not bothering to try escaping, Yamaguchi let his friend carry him back through the apartment before tackling him onto Tsukishima’s bed. Of course, as soon as Tsukishima’s hands started to tickle his sides mercilessly, explaining his choice of venue, Yamaguchi was calling out his surrender.

“I yield! I yield! Have mercy!”

“Only with you,” Tsukishima replied before rolling off to the side and onto his back. Maybe it was the way they were both laughing like they were insane, or because Yamaguchi hadn’t laid on this bed since before it was moved into this apartment, but as they started to wind down Yamaguchi rolled over to cuddle against Tsukishima’s side.

Tsukishima didn’t seem to mind at all, bringing his own arm around to rest against Yamaguchi’s back. Yamaguchi could feel Tsukishima’s exhales ruffling his hair and for a moment, he pretended that the rapid heartbeat he could feel under his fingers was coming from him rather than the previous fight.

After the moment, he turned to face his friend.

“Thank-”

“Are y-”

Their lips brushed the other’s as they spoke, a new wave of red exploded across their faces as Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima’s heart rate kick up beneath his palm.

Yamaguchi pulled back, but didn’t pull away, eyes wide as he tried to gauge his friend’s reaction in the space of a nanosecond. Before he could though, Tsukishima turned onto his side and pulled Yamaguchi back in with a hand cradling the back of his neck. Yamaguchi couldn’t help but melt as their lips meet for real, curling his fingers into Tsukishima’s over-sized sleep shirt as the reality of the situation started to set in.

“Tsukki,” he whispered between breaths, swiftly stealing another peck. “I really like you. I have for a long time.”

“Me too,” is Tsukishima’s response before rolling onto his back again, this time pulling Yamaguchi with him to keep their mouths pressed together.

The two traded sweet kisses until they fell asleep, still curled up beside each other on the bed made for a single person. Tomorrow they would discuss the change in their relationship more fully and hopefully continue to study for the upcoming finals week, but for now they were both happy enough to finally fall asleep side by side, fingers laced together.


End file.
